Hi all... pretty new here. To start off I am no car expert. I am capable of doing most general light maintenance like oil, filters, light bulbs etc.... but at this point in life I much prefer paying to have those kinds of things done. I just wanted to offer a common owners comparison between the '07 & '12 tC's; for whatever that's worth

I got my '07 brand new. It was the first compact car I've owned since I was a teen. My 3 vehicles prior to it were an Xterra, Mustang and Thunderbird. I fell in love with the lil booger almost instantly. It was just a fun little car to drive; and the savings in gas after driving an XTerra (that had not aged well at all) was just tremedous. My '07 will have passed 130k this evening by the time my girlfriend gets back from the store... and it still drives practically like new.

So when it came time for a new car... I instantly gravitated back towards the tC. Why not? My first was the cheapest and most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. Great combination in my eyes! I'm still using the first as my daily driver, and will probably continue to do so until it just wears out.

Now for my comparison. The interior is a bit roomier in the '12. I think that over all the car is a little bit wider, and the new rear design definitely gives a little more head room in the rear. I love the new features in the '12. The blue tooth on the headset is something I've never had before, and I am really enjoying it! I think that the factory audio quality may be a little bit better in the '12 than the '07... but I upgraded the '07 audio within the first two weeks, so I honestly can not remember. I am missing the auto roll down switches for both windows, as the '12 only has the driver side one touch roll down. The '12 does seem to be a little bit slower even though it has a few more horsepower. The body does seem to be bigger and wider on the '12 so that does make sense. The steering is tighter on the '12... but that may be due, at least in part, to the 130k on the '07. The '12 definitely has a wider turn radius. The maneuver that I use to turn my car around every morning, is made easily by my '07... but the '12 can not manage it without backing up once. I was really dissappointed to see that they went back to the rubberized trunk handle in the '12; as the one in my '07 melted within the first year or two in this Gulf Coast heat. Then a couple of years after that, that whole trim piece came right off. My friend has a '09 or '10 that has a sturdier feeling handle, and I was certainly hoping to see it on the '12. The dash layout is quite a bit different, and I really can't say which I have a preference for yet. It is odd going back and forth between the two though. I have to say I can't at all understand the lack of an analog temperature guage in the '12. That's just something I definitely want to see in a car.

There ya have it. Hope it was worth the read.

 

Welcome to forum and I'm glad you're enjoying your new tC.

 

I test drove a ’10 and an ’11 back-to-back ( first gen – second gen) at the dealer when I got my ’11…both were brand new. There was about $1,000 difference in price. I chose the ’11 over the ’10 because it would have cost me significantly more than that $1,000 to get the ’10 up to the ‘11’s performance levels.

 

Sheer performance wise I definitely prefer the '7 to the '12. It's just faster and more nimble. Standard feature wise, I do agree the '12 has it all over the '7.

 

I thought the 2nd gens were faster and handled better...

 

scion tc2
Zero to 60 mph: 6.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 19.2 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 7.3 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.4 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 133 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 171 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g

scion tc1
Zero to 60 mph: 7.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 20.9 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 8.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 88 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g

Even tho the tc2 beats the tc1 in every category its not even by that much..pretty much a drivers race between the two. because the tc2 feels heavier i can see why the tc1 can feel more nimble and faster.

 

They are very close spec wise apparently. I was expecting the tc2 to be noticably faster when I first read the specs on it... but truly going back and forth between the two... the tc1 still just feels faster and more agile to me.

 

but i bet if you took away those 18inch rims that weigh 26.5 lbs and put 19lb rims that the tc1 has those numbers would look alot better...i have a tc2 myself, i have a few mods but changed out tires and rims and i havent met a tc1 thats not tc/sc that can beat me